Naghma

Age: 23                              Sex: F                              Occupation: Emergency Room Scribe

 Question 1: How often do you use the emojis reflected in your “frequently used?”

 "Of the 35 emojis reflected in the “frequently used” section, I use at least 28 of them daily. The remaining 6 have been used throughout the week and the remaining 1 is actually listed after an accidental click."

Question 2: Pick three of your “frequently used” emojis and tell us what they mean to you and in what context you use them.

"This smiley face [regular smiley face emoji] has become one of my favorite emojis. I am a relatively sarcastic person, so when I use this emoji, I’m never actually happy/smiling. It’s more of an “I hate this” or “This is so embarrassing I don’t know what else to say” kind of reaction. Essentially, this emoji is used when something “bad” has happened."

  "This emoji [crying face] is definitely used on a daily basis. The meaning of this emoji is what it literally represents, crying; however, I use it when I’m sad and when I’m laughing. I use this emoji over “lmao” “lol” “haha” most of the time. I also use this emoji when I’m venting or complaining about something, similar to the emoji listed above."

  "This emoji [drooling emoji] is relatively new and is easily one of my most used emojis. I send this emoji when talking about food, which is quite often throughout the day. I also use this emoji if I’m referring to someone/something attractive or if a friend sends me a photo of someone attractive or food."

Question 3: Looking at your “frequently used” emojis, what would you say they are communicating about where you are in life/what you’re currently going through?

 "Right now, I have been going through a tough time. I have been stressed with work, school, and personal issues. Of the 35, only 11 have been used when texting about these topics.  Just by looking at the “frequently used”, it looks like an even mix of upset/sad and happy (especially considering most of the emojis are not used for their literal meaning)."

Question 4: Are these emojis an accurate representation of you at this moment? Why or why not?

 "The emojis are accurate. Although the 11/35 are used in regards to the struggles I have currently been facing, the others are relevant to the other, smaller, parts of my life. For example, 2 of the emojis (Jack-o’-lantern and skull) are listed because Halloween is in a couple of days. As mentioned, the drooling emoji is used daily because I do talk about food quite often. The others, a part for the cherry, which was clicked by accident, are used when communicating to my friends about smaller events in my life at this moment or in reply to what is happening in their lives at the moment."